Ignorance, Poverty, Poor Sanitation and Malaria in Ghana

Malaria remains a major public health issue in Ghana and Africa as a whole. It is a high killer disease in the country. The endemicity of malaria has threatened health delivery services of the country. Malaria poses a great threat to about 40% of the population of Ghana, especially pregnant women and children under the age of five. The government of Ghana, the national malaria control program, and health workers in Ghana have done a tremendous job in intensifying efforts to prevent malaria by increasing the coverage of insecticide treated bed net and insecticide sprays given to the people especially parents with children under the age of five. Despite all these efforts, malaria prevalence has not decreased as expected. The government and public health officials should get to the root of the matter. Malaria transmission requires the presence of Anopheles mosquitoes, conditions which favor the growth and persistence of these mosquitoes should be looked into. Socio-economic factors, poor sanitation systems: rural areas, stagnant patches of water, streams or ponds are the ideal location for the development of mosquito larvae. All these factors contribute to increasing malaria transmission and high levels of mortality in Ghana. I recommend that the government of Ghana and the public health system should partner with foreign waste management companies, recycling companies, and foreign sanitation officers for assistance in educating the people of Ghana on how to manage their waste and keep their environments clean. Statistics show that poverty correlates with waste and mosquito prevalence and therefore the government should also tackle poverty in the country

Biography :

Vivian Nyarko studied from Ternopil State Medical University

E-mail: vivimon212@icloud.com

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